Twisted in the Twilight
by Kaidence28
Summary: The screwiest most messed up piece of Twilight fanfiction written by myself. Two girls who are best friends find themselves in Washington and right in the middle of some vampire-werewolve-human love triangles, or squares, just a complicated shape, okay?
1. Chapter One: Writer's Block

I sat on the floor of the band room, where I spent all my breaks when I wasn't in the library. I was listening to Vanilla Twilight by Owl City, and to be perfectly honest I wasn't really thinking about anything in particular. I sat with my favorite pencil in hand, blue, mechanical, and a black grip, and a black notebook in my lap, open to a fresh, crisp page. I was having a terrible writing block, I had so many ideas that it was almost painful, but I just couldn't find the will to write, and I couldn't figure out why.

I was using my Skull Candy ear buds, which meant I couldn't hear anything besides music. I supposed that this was somewhat dangerous; what if there should be a fire drill? But I didn't care; I was so far into my own head that the real world didn't really matter, at least, not today.

My hair began to tickle my cheek, and I pushed it back behind my shoulder. It was the first time in my entire life that I had ever let it get this long, and I wondered how long I would let it grow. Not too far, but maybe just a bit longer, maybe halfway down my back if it still looked okay. My natural color of a dark brown had been colored over countless times, I had been light brown, blond, and a red head, and currently it was a dark red.

My eyes remained their natural color, as there was hardly anything I could do about them, unless I wanted to get colored contacts. To say the least, I didn't bother.

As Adam Young sang in my ears and the cheerful electronic music picked up its pace in Tidal Wave, I found my lips forming the lyrics, even though no sound came out. Giving up on writing, I put my pencil in my pencil pouch and closed the notebook, hooking it onto the rings of my binder.

I lay down on the floor and looked up at the ceiling, the ceiling tiles and the lights replacing them at regular intervals. I wondered why the ceilings in schools were never fun to look at. Why didn't they make them colorful or put those glow in the dark star stickers on them? They could at least do that in the science classrooms, that might make it a bit more enjoyable.

Then I remembered that nothing about school should be fun, that it might as well have been called torture. Besides my friends, what was there to look forward to?

I looked up at the clock and its red numbers, all square and uniform. It was ten minutes to the start of class, and I wasn't looking forward to going to Biology at all. It meant sitting through some boring Evolution speech or photosynthesis or something that I never even thought about. Not even the unique black topped lab tables that were so much fun to draw on made the class the tiniest bit enjoyable.

Not sure what to do as I lay there, I focused on the lyrics to Tidal Wave, wondering what was going through Adam's head when he was working on the song. What was his inspiration? His lyrics were always beautiful, true, and relatable. Maybe that was the secret to writing a good song, making it about life, and true. I wasn't sure. It wasn't like I planned to go into the music business after school.

I closed my eyes and not two seconds later did someone kick my foot. I sighed. How much did I want to put up with today?

I opened my eyes and looked up, hoping it was just somebody passing by and feeling like they had to disturb me. I wasn't really in the mood to talk.

Of course, a bright eyed Whitney stood over me, her light hair shining under the fluorescents. I put a smile on my face and scrambled to my feet, pulling out one of my ear buds on the way up.

"What's up?" I asked, wondering what had her in such a seemingly good mood. The Yankees hadn't played last night, to the best of my knowledge, and BYU hadn't either, and I hadn't the faintest idea of what had her so smiley.

"You'll never guess!" She said in almost a sing-song voice.

"Yeah, hence the 'what's up?'" I said, wondering if she was all right in the head. It was Whitney, the one who always tried to come up with witty responses to my common statements, so I guess I wasn't surprised.

"Well, I've decided something!" She said, rocking back and forth on her bright yellow heeled shoes.

"What have you decided?" I asked, playing along. It was obvious that I wasn't going to get an answer right away. She was building up to it.

"You know how I was telling you yesterday that we need a vacation?" She asked.

I vaguely remembered the conversation, so I nodded, not remembering all the details.

"Well, I have the perfect idea for one!" She started jumping up and down so fast I wasn't sure how her heels were still connected to her shoes.

"Okay, so where we going?" I asked, still finding the patience to play along with her game.

"Name me one place where you used to live that you have been missing recently."

"Seattle? You want to go to Seattle? Why? What's in Seattle that you want to get away for so badly?"

"The Yankees are playing the Mariners! It's the perfect time to go!" Whitney said happily.

So it did have something to do with the Yankees after all. I should have known. "You want me to go with you and watch the Mariners beat the Yankees?" I laughed.

"No, I want you to go with me and watch the Yankees beat the Mariners. Geez, what have you been smoking, crack? Don't tell me that the rumors are true, crackhead."

"No," I said, playfully punching her shoulder. "I don't smoke crack. I was just giving you garbage, that's all. You know how I trash talk."

"That I know," Whitney agreed. "So what do you think? We can go to the game, shop a little, come on Danielle, it'll be fun!"

"I guess so, when are we going?" I asked, wondering when the adventure would take place.

"This weekend! It's a long weekend because of the holiday, so it's absolutely perfect. No way can you say no!"

"Can't argue with that, I suppose. Okay, you are driving?" I asked, shuddering at the price of gas money.

"Yup! My dad is paying for gas, he told me he would."

The warning bell rang.

"Okay, we'll talk more at lunch, okay?" I asked as I gathered my books and practically fast walked to class.

I walked to class wondering how Whitney had time to plan trips, when I barely fit my homework into my schedule, and then I knew why. It was because I dedicated so much time to reading and writing. It made sense then. I laughed at myself and hurried to class.

"Any places you'd like to go in particular?" Whitney asked as she wrote out the trip plan while we sat at our usual lunch table.

"No, not really. Just the Space Needle."

"Oh! Excellent idea!" She wrote that down with the other places she had planned. "Don't forget plenty of spending money; we are going to shop until we drop!"

"I bet we are," I said under my breath. If there was anything I had learned about Whitney it was that she loved shopping, especially SHOE shopping. No doubt she would find the most expensive pair of shoes in all of Seattle and bring them home with her.

While Whitney wrote down and planned the rest of the trip, I sank back in my chair, finishing my sandwich. Maybe a trip was what I needed to cure my writer's block.


	2. Chapter Two: Spur of the Moment Decision

2

I drove home after school that day in my 1991 blue Toyota Camry wondering about how my parents would react when I told them I would be going with Whitney to Washington.

Part of me expected a major blowup from the both of them, a lecture on how I wasn't mature enough and how dangerous Washington could be.

I was prepared. I had retaliations for both arguments.

It was warm for the week heading into Memorial Weekend. I wondered if the weather in Washington would be as nice as it was here, or if it would be rainy. I guessed there would be rain, after living there as a young child I remembered being shocked when I came to Idaho and saw real sun for the first time.

When I got home, I found that both of my parent's cars were gone, a strange occurrence. Where could they be?

I shut off the car, slung my bag over my shoulder, and headed inside. The front door was locked, and when I looked through one of the front windows, I saw all the lights were off. I pulled my house key out of my bag and opened the door.

Even though I knew nobody was there, I called out "Hello?" anyway.

I threw my bag down on the couch as I came in, closed the door behind me and locked it.

I walked into the kitchen and saw a note on the countertop. It was the only item on my mother's sparkling granite.

_Gone to Twin Falls to visit family. Be back tomorrow. Dinner is in the fridge and be sure to do your homework. Love you, us._

I groaned. Why would they choose today to go to Twin Falls? Was something up and they just didn't want me to worry? I figured that was the case.

Knowing that they would be gone at least until tomorrow, I sat down on the couch and leaned back against the overstuffed cushions, trying to decide if I should start packing or wait until I was sure I would be allowed to go.

It wasn't like I had anything better to do, I didn't have any homework, I wasn't the type who would lay around watching TV or sitting on the computer.

I closed my eyes and imagined myself packing and running away for the rest of the week. It was what my parents had done to me, and they wouldn't even know where I was unless they called and checked on me, in which case I could always lie. What was there in Washington that could kill me anyway?

My cell phone vibrated in my pocket, making my leg shake as if I were cold. I listened to it buzz quietly for a moment, comforted by a sound that I did not make. Besides the noise of the phone vibrating, the house was dead silent, everything turned off for my parent's quick departure.

When the sound had left me and all I could hear was my own pulse and breathing, I took my phone out of my pocket and looked to see who had taken the time to text. Of course it had been Whitney. It wasn't like I had that many people who knew my phone number. I shouldn't have been expecting different.

The text was in usual Whitney style, short and sweet and completely lacking in any sort of punctuation. As one who wrote regularly, improper text messages often disturbed me.

**Sooooo r u cuming or not**, the text said.

Shuddering internally at all the mistakes in the text like I usually did, I replied. **Of course I'm coming. I have a suggestion, though.**

Her response was instantaneous. I imagined her sitting somewhere in her house, her full, undivided attention on her phone.

**Wats that**

I texted quickly and cleanly, knowing full well that this was a spur of the moment decision that had to be made fast before anyone suspected me of anything.

**Let's leave today, this afternoon. Let's start our vacation early.**

As I expected there would be, there was a brief silence on the other end before my phone startled me by shaking violently. It was if all Whitney's emotions had been transferred into the vibrations of my phone.

**WAT but 2day is thurs we wud miss school fri**

I smiled. This was the point, of course.

**Yes, I'm aware of that. Don't you think it would be fun, though?** I texted as I stood up from the couch and walked down the set of seven stairs that led me to the family room and my bedroom. I was going to pack, and I was going to leave today, even if that meant I would meet Whitney there on Friday night.

**Ya sure but idk bout missin school**

I wondered where her sense of adventure went. It had obviously walked out on her.

**I'm leaving today, the sooner the better. Come with me if you want.**

I myself didn't know where this rebellious person had come from. Maybe it was because I was tired of being the perfect child, the one who always got perfect grades and did everything her parents told her to do. Maybe it was because I had never seen an opportunity more perfect than this to get away and be who I wanted to be.

**Im cuming with b there n like ten mins**

I smiled. I could really start to see this as a legitimate adventure, as well as vacation.

I threw enough clothes to last the rest of the week and some extras in a bag, added my toiletries and entertainment devices, as well as the chargers and my wallet and ran upstairs. I dumped my stuff on the floor before running back to my room to grab my pillow.

Last, but certainly not least, I left my backpack next to the note my parents had left and scribbled _Gone to Washington. Be back whenever. Love, me _on it.

I took my stuff outside, locked up the house, and headed out to my car, arms full.

Whitney stuck true to her word. She pulled into my driveway not seven minutes later.

"I don't see why we have to leave today," she said as she closed her car door behind her.

"I don't either, all I know is we are going to have a blast. Did your dad already load up your car with gas for the trip?"

"Yeah, so I guess you should move your stuff to the backseat, then. But Danielle, I don't quite-"

"Trust me," I said, grabbing my stuff out of my own backseat and throwing it into hers. "This will be what will change your life and make it worth something. This is the story we will be telling our children some day."


	3. Chapter Three: Lost in La Push

"I don't get it," Whitney said as her car sped down the road, the lines seeming to be one instead of the dashes they really were.

"What don't you get?" I asked, watching the clouds move as we practically sped into the state of Washington.

"Why did we run off so fast? Don't you know that your parents will kill you, just as surely as mine will kill me? You are usually not so rash, why the sudden rashness? What happened to my smart and sensible best friend?"

I sighed, rolling the window up and down. "When I got home, my parents were gone. There was a note telling me that they had gone to Twin Falls, and that I should be sure to do my homework, and be that good little girl that I've always been."

"And you disobeyed them," Whitney said quietly.

"I was tired of living the life that they controlled. I wanted to be me, for once in my life. It may seem from the outside that I'm a perfect goody goody, but I'm not. I know I'm meant to live for so much more. I'm tired of being the perfect little angel. I want to know what it's like living on the other side."

"Should I go and find you some little devil horns, then?" Whitney asked.

"No, that won't be necessary. This is my rebellion. This is the time when I'm going to show the world who I really am, not who my parent's want me to be."

"So I became best friends with someone who isn't who I thought they were?" She looked at me, eyes as wide as dinner plates.

I shrugged, rolling the window all the way shut and leaving it there. "I don't know. Maybe, who knows?"

"I hate it when you get all cryptic like that. Why can't you just give me a straight answer?"

I looked at her eyes, that were so much darker than her light colored hair. I could never bet a color on her hair. It wasn't blond, but it wasn't brown either. It seemed to be perfectly in between. It was as unique as she was.

"Because then you wouldn't think. Thinking is good for you. Nobody is ever going to give you all the answers right off the bat. Well, I should say not everybody. There are some people who feel the need to explain every single little thing."

Whitney laughed. "True. My brain needs to be more active. It can be an unhealthy little thing sometimes."

"Oh shut up, you know that you are way smarter than I am, by a mile."

"Thanks for that, you know, it's kind of double edged. It's a compliment and a lie. You should call it a complie."

"No, I'm not lying. I don't get your new word. Doesn't comply mean to agree with something or follow the rules or whatever?"

"I don't know. It was the first combination of the two words that I came up with," Whitney shrugged.

"Hm, I like it". I pulled my notebook from the bag under my feet and scribbled the word, as she told me to spell it: c-o-m-p-l-i-e. I told myself that I would use it in a piece of writing one day.

"I don't know why I decided to leave with you. I don't know, maybe I'm like you. I wanted a real taste of freedom. Maybe I wanted to quit my angel status too."

"You had angel status?" I asked, faking shock.

She nudged me with her elbow. "Yes, I did. Until I met a person named Danielle otherwise known as Dani who took it away from me."

"Your welcome. You'll see. This will be a true adventure. I wouldn't lie."

"You wouldn't before, when you had a halo. Without a halo, who knows what you'll do? You could base your entire life around a lie, for all I know."

I ignored her by putting in my Skull Candies and cranking up Hello Seattle by Owl City. The closer we got, the more excited I became.

"I don't think we're in Kansas anymore, Toto," I yawned, as I stared out the windshield into the night that lay ahead of us. It had been hours, and still we had not seen the lights of Seattle.

"Shut up," Whitney snapped. "You've never even been to Kansas, and you know my name isn't Toto."

"You've never been to Kansas either," I pointed out.

"So?"

"So you shouldn't judge my Wizard of Oz references when you are in the same boat as me. Had you actually been to Kansas, I wouldn't have been so upset at your snapping at me."

"I WISH I was in Kansas. Maybe then I wouldn't be so LOST."

"Please, if you can't find your way around Washington with a MAP then what makes you think you could find your way around and to Kansas?"

"I don't know," she whimpered quietly. "Dani, I'm lost and I want my mommy," she cried as she drove.

"Whit, come on. It's okay. We'll be okay. You'll see. We don't need our parents. We are independent, free. We can do this."

"I don't want to be free anymore. Lock me up and throw away the key. I want to be caged under my parent's roof."

"Aw, come on. Don't be like that." I looked up from her and saw a light in the distance. "Just drive toward the light. Maybe we're almost there."

She looked up at the light and hit the gas a little harder. I could tell that she was tired, and that the excitement and spur of the moment decision had taken a lot out of her.

The light came closer and closer, and as it did, Whitney and I said nothing. From hours of being in the car, my red-brown shoulder length hair was messy, and my usual pale skin was dark under my eyes.

The light turned out to be civilization after all, or a small piece of it anyway. We pulled into the small gas station, glad to see some lights on and someone inside. Whitney parked the car in one of the spots in front of the store and both of us got out of the car and stretched our folded up muscles.

The stretch hurt, but it was a good pain. Once we were almost ourselves again, or at least closer to it, we headed into the store.

The man behind the counter looked us up and down. His hair was long and dark, and his skin was dark, too. I guessed that he was an Indian of some sort, though my History was not good enough to guess what tribe he would be descended of. I had never learned about Washington tribes.

"Could you tell us where we are?" Whitney asked once we were standing at the counter.

"Where you are? Are you lost?" His voice was deep, at least it was in comparison to mine and Whitney's.

"Sort of. We're supposed to be in Seattle. How far off are we?" I asked.

"Not too far, you could be farther, I suppose." He pulled out a map of Washington and pointed to a small area, which was labeled as La Push. He explained that it was a reservation. At least I had been right about him, I knew he was of some Indian descent.

"Could you direct us to somewhere where we could stay tonight? I don't think we have it in us to drive much farther."

He smiled a friendly smile. "Of course. There's a small place just up the road. Nothing fancy, but I think you'll be comfortable enough there."

"Thank you," Whitney and I said in unison.

We left the store with a map of Washington in hand, after the man had insisted we take it.

Unwillingly we got back into the car and drove up the road, where we eventually found a small motel, as the man had said.

"We'll stay here tonight, and find our way to Seattle tomorrow. Maybe it's a good thing we left early, anyway. Now we will definitely make it to the baseball game without any hiccups," I said, trying to keep our outlook positive.

"If we don't get lost in the city," Whitney said, attitude still sour as we took a small amount of our things into the lobby to get a room.

"Don't worry. We'll cross that bridge when we come to it," I assured her.

"I just hope we make it across," she mumbled as I opened the door into the lobby.

"Don't be Debbie Downer. You are Whitney. Don't make me change your name," I threatened.

She gave me a small smile before we went and checked in.


	4. Chapter Four: The Motel Room

A good night's sleep proved just what the doctor ordered. The motel, though very small, proved very comfortable. The room was furnished simply, just two full sized beds, a dresser (atop which sat a TV), and a desk. Attached to the room was a bathroom.

Light shone through the window, causing me to stir. For a moment, I forgot where I was. Slowly, I went through the surroundings I was aware of in my groggy state. The pillow beneath my head was my own, but I was sure the bed was not. The walls were an unfamiliar color, a light brown. The furniture was dark, a wooden material that was unfamiliar when in contrast of the black, sleek modern wood in my bedroom at home.

The sound of Whitney's breathing brought the previous day back to me in one, forceful blow.

My decision to be free. Leaving my home for Washington. Being lost on the road. Toto. Kansas. The gas station. Debbie Downer. The mental images ran continuously in my mind, like a movie on fast forward, all the way up to where I was now. Laying on a bed in a motel somewhere in the small Indian reservation of La Push.

An unfamiliar place, unfamiliar people, and of course, who could forget? The fact that I could barely recognize myself.

That could prove to be a problem.

My phone, which I had sat on the bedside table that was in between the two beds, went off, singing Umbrella Beach by Owl City. I wiped the sleep from my eyes and checked my phone, the light of the screen bright to my eyes. It was just the alarm. Was I so out of it that I could not even recognize my alarm?

I shut it off and glanced over at Whitney, who was still fast asleep. While wondering how anyone could be that deep of a sleeper, I crawled out of the bed and went over to where my suitcase lay open.

I hastily grabbed some clothes and toiletries and headed into the bathroom, the cold tile beneath my feet chilling me to my core. I set my things on the counter and undressed before turning the shower on. I marveled at hotel water heaters.

When I was all finished in the bathroom, I headed back out to my suitcase; but not before I noticed Whitney out of the corner of my eye.

She was sitting on her bed, holding my phone in her hands. Her eyes where fixed unseeingly on the small screen.

"Whitney, what's wrong?" I asked, throwing my stuff back in my suitcase.

She said nothing, but I knew it wasn't because she was ignoring me. I sensed that something was the matter.

I sat down next to her and looked at the screen of my cell phone.

There, on the screen under the words "NEW TEXT MESSAGE" said the one word that I had been expecting. Of course, I hadn't expected it so early. The word "PARENTS" seemed to shout at me, attempting to make me feel guilty.

"I haven't opened it yet," Whitney whispered nervously, hands trembling.

I slid my phone from her nervous fingers and opened the text.

"WHERE ARE YOU?"

Calmly, I dialed the number. Whitney snatched the phone away from me when I had but one digit left to punch in.

"ARE YOU CRAZY?!" She bellowed, clearly not remembering where we were, a motel, where people could hear her.

"No," I said, displaying no emotion. I was proving to her that I was of a perfectly rational mind.

She didn't buy it. 'Why call them? You'll be shouted at!"

"No, I won't. Now give me my phone back."

"No way!"

"Fine then." I stood up and walked over where Whitney's phone sat. I picked it up, and before she could even think of what I was up to, I sprinted to the bathroom.

She was fast, but I was faster.

I bolted the door behind me.

"Danielle!" You get out here right this instant and give me my phone back!" She pounded on the door, but to no avail.

I dialed my parent's number and listened to it ring on the other end.

"Hello?" My mother's voice answered.

"Mom, hey, it's me," I calmly greeted her.

"Danielle Renee! Where are you? Your father and I have been worried sick!" Her voice was not filled with anger, but worry.

You're home?" I asked. "I thought you had been in Twin Falls."

"We were. W got home a little over an our ago. Now where are you?"

"Washington. Whitney and I left for Washington."

'Without telling me? Why? When was this planned?"

I chewed on the inside of my cheek. "Yesterday at school."

"Are you safe?"

"Yeah, we're in a motel in this place called La Push. It's all cool," I assured her.

"What about Whitney's parents? Do they know she's there?"

"Her dad bought the gas, mom," I answered. I figured it to be a safe answer, as it wasn't saying her parents did, or didn't know.

"Look, you need to get home."

"No. I can't, and I won't. I'll never grow up if you keep me sheltered my whole life. This si my adventure, and I'm going to live it out until the end. I'll be home Sunday. Love you."

With that, I hung up. I unlocked the bathroom door and watched Whitney fall to the tiled floor of the bathroom, not expecting the opening of the door.

"Oof!" She said when she hit the floor. She sprang up. "So, are you in trouble?" She asked the moment she was on her feet.

"Probably," I shrugged. I handed her phone back to her and she gave me mine.

"What do you mean by 'probably?' You either are or you aren't."

"I'm not sure of which one yet," I said, walking out into the room. "It's probably the first one though."

"PROBABLY?!" Whitney repeated.

"Yep. Now get cleaned up. Let's really start this adventure."


	5. Chapter Five: The Giftshop

"What's the first step to getting this trip back on it's feet?" Whitney asked, as we packed up our stuff and loaded it back into her car.

"Getting to Seattle," I said, closing the trunk. "That's the whole reason we came here in the first place. I want to see some Yankees go home crying."

Whitney rolled her eyes. "Right. What planet are you on right now? I don't think it's earth. If it was earth, you would have said the opposite of what you just said. In conclusion, you are not on earth."

"You really need to learn that some things do not need to be said. You could have shortened that last statement by a mile when you realized how redundant that last part was," I pointed out.

She smiled. "I'm going to go check us out. Don't break anything while I'm gone, okay? I mean, I know you do that sometimes. I'd rather not be stranded on this tiny little reservation, if I can help it."

"Okay, I'll do my best." I watched her walk through the doors and into the lobby.

I went around to the passenger side and pulled the map that the guy at the gas station had given us. I opened it up and tried to find the quickest route to Seattle.

All around me, it was quiet, with only the sounds of nature in my ears. It was weird, not hearing any cars passing by, no radios. Just the sound of birds chirping and the feeling of sun on my cheek. It wasn't the Washington I had remembered from my childhood.

The Washington of my childhood was cold, wet, rainy, and noisy; filled to the breaking point with the sounds of people, music, and public transportation. I hadn't been able to see this side of Washington, it was a nice change.

I set the map on the roof of the car and decided that I would walk around, enjoy the sun while it was there.

I walked out to the side of the street, which was just a two lane road. Not too far away was a building with a sign that declared it to be a gift shop. I decided that a souvenir from this part of the trip would be good for me.

I ran back to the car and left a note on the map in the corner of it and ran as fast as I could to the gift shop.

While running, there was a slight breeze in my hair that contrasted the sun so perfectly that I couldn't believe it. It was a feeling of peace that I had only read about, but never experienced. I ran faster.

When I arrived at the gift shop, I looked around. There weren't many cars parked outside of it, just a Volkswagen Rabbit and some other car that was so old that I couldn't recognize it. My car would feel right at home here, it might even feel young, instead of the old geezer it was called back at home.

I walked up the steps and into the gift shop, pleased to find it so inviting inside. There was large windows that let in the sunlight, and all sorts of things on all the different shelves.

I was so distracted by all the different knick-knacks that I didn't notice the guy at the counter until he spoke.

"Hey, welcome to the shop, is there anything I can help you look for?"

I looked up over to the counter and saw a guy that was tall, but I didn't notice that until my eyes finally moved off of his muscles. The dude was _ripped. _The thing that got me was that he couldn't have been older than me. He had dark hair, and his skin was like the guy I had seen at the gas station, dark and beautiful, only much younger.

I had to swallow the stupid words I was about to say before I could actually speak.

"Uh, no, not really. Just looking, really. Me and my friend stopped here on the way to Seattle, and I thought a souvenir would be nice, you know, to remember the whole trip."

"Sure, I getcha. But why anyone would want to remember this place is beyond me," he laughed.

"Hm, I think I would have to disagree with you. It's so nice here. Nothing like the Washington I remembered growing up in," I walked over to where he stood at the counter.

"You grew up here?"

"Well, not here, exactly. I grew up in Gig Harbor, not terribly far away, I guess. I was in Seattle a lot."

"Most people are," he said, smiling a bright smile.

"I don't live there anymore, though. I live in Idaho now, Boise. I was born there originally."

"Nice, home of the potato."

"Yeah, guess it is. And somehow a falcon ended up on our state's quarter," I mumbled, mostly to myself.

He laughed, a bright, happy sound. Not just a laugh used in conversation, but a real laugh. "I always wondered about that," he said in between chuckles.

"Oh well what do you do?" I shrugged. "Anyway, what kind of souvenir would you suggest for a girl like me?"

"Funny story about that," he began. "I can legitimately say that I don't work here. I'm covering for my friend, who went out for the weekend. I'm here strictly on favor basis. I only asked if I could help you out of courtesy."

I smiled. "I can only imagine the relief that went through you when I told you I was just looking."

"Yeah, well, it was a lot of it. I can still help you look, even though I don't know what half this junk is."

"Sounds cool to me. I'm Danielle, by the way," I said as he came around the counter.

"Jacob," he said. He held out his hand. I shook it and was amazed at how warm it was. Then I remembered that I was naturally cold and everyone's hand I touched seemed warm.

"Anything in particular you're looking for?" He asked as we went in and out of the rows of shelves.

"Not really. How about a snow globe?" I laughed.

"I don't know how confused you are, but this is not Alaska. That's a bit farther north," he chuckled.

"Okay, so you know for a fact you don't have those, or are you only guessing?"

"I know for a fact that we don't have them. They'd be our best seller if we did. How about a key chain or a t-shirt?"

"Key chains are cool, but it better have my name on it."

"Don't push your luck, Danielle is a very strange name. It's probably used by aliens."

"Psh, I doubt it. Thanks though. If my name is used by aliens, your name is used by the talking penguins in Antarctica that scientists aren't even aware of."

"Talking penguins?" He asked, an eyebrow raised.

"It was all I could come up with. You already took aliens, I couldn't use that against you, now could I?"

"You could, but it would have been a lame comeback," he said, smiling, as we reached the display of key chains.

I looked through the key chains. "Yes, it would have."

"So you're Danielle the alien," he laughed.

"And your Jacob the talking penguin, nice to meet you." I picked a key chain with my name on it and La Push.

"Cool. That all? Want me to ring you up?"

"Well, who else is going to do it?" I asked, looking around the store for any other employees.

"Nobody likes a smart aleck," he rolled his eyes.

"True, sorry," I apologized as I followed him back up to the counter.

Once he was behind the register, I handed him the key chain and he scanned it. I gave him the money for it.

"Receipt with you or in the bag?"

"Very nice, you should work here for real. That sounded seriously legit."

"I'll pass."

"In the bag's fine," I smiled.

He handed me the bag and my change and before I pushed the door open, I called back to him. "Thanks!"

"Anytime," he called back.

Once outside, I saw Whitney's car parked next to the Rabbit, so I climbed in and closed the door behind me.

"What did you get?" Whitney asked as we left the gift shop.

"Just a key chain. Nothing special." I pulled it out the bag, the receipt falling into my lap as I dangled the key chain in the air so she could see it.

"Nice, because I know I want to remember this place, where we got LOST."

"You may not, but I do."

I put the key chain back into the bag and picked up the receipt, about to put it in.

Something stopped me, though. Written just under the classic "THANK YOU FOR YOUR BUSINESS!" was a small note.

_Danielle the alien, call me sometime. ;)_ Below that was a number. I smiled and put the receipt in my sweatshirt pocket. I decided that I would call him, maybe see him again before Whitney and I headed home.


	6. Chapter Six: Hello Seattle

"HELLO SEATTLE!" I yelled, filling Whitney's little red bug with an excited yell so loud that she almost took her hands off the wheel to cover her ears.

"Would you stop with the Owl City references already?" Whitney said, as she straightened the car back out onto the road. "I know that you are in love with Adam Young, but you don't have to relate everything you say to the guy."

"If you were in love you would shout joyously, too," I said, smiling a smile so wide it hurt.

"Probably not, I'm sane," she grumbled.

"Hey, Debbie Downer, you better not be contagious. I don't want to wear a frown while I'm here!"

"Hey, Nagging Nancy, shut it and just leave me be. I'll be happy when I see some SHOES."

I laughed. "Then let's find some shoes, because you being upset is totally not working for me."

"Don't worry, we are making a beeline for the hotel, and then we are going straight to downtown for some shopping, or at least a mall."

"Sounds good to-OH MY GOODNESS IT'S THE SPACE NEEDLE!" I shouted happily.

"Yes, I see it too. Calm down, Danielle. Eesh."

I bounced up and down in my seat like a child might when they were driving into Disneyworld.

"Hey, what's this?" Whitney asked.

I stopped bouncing in time to see her opening up the receipt from the gift shop. It must have fallen out when I was bouncing…

"You got a guys number? Without me? How could you?" She sounded hurt.

"How was I supposed to know there would be a hot guy in there?" I shrugged.

"You FLIRTED without me?"

"No, not intentionally, okay, maybe the penguin thing was, but other than that-"

"Penguins?"

"Never mind."

"No, it's only never mind if you don't intend on calling him. If you call him, then I'm entitled to meeting him. I'm entitled to certain things when I'm your best friend."

"Says who?"

"Says me."

"Ooh, then it's official," I said sarcastically.

"Fine. I'll find a guy who is hotter than this Jacob guy and you'll see. You'll like him better and forget all about this guy."

"I highly doubt that," I muttered to myself.

"You'll see." Whitney seemed sure of herself, and I couldn't help but think that she was going to get what she wanted in the end, she usually did.

"A shoe store! Finally!" Whitney said excitedly. She parked the car up against the sidewalk outside the store and shut off the car.

"Ready to shop until we drop?" Now she was the one doing the bouncing.

"Yeah, but you go ahead. I'm going to call my parents, you know, and apologize. I feel I owe it to them."

"Want me to stay with you, then?" She asked.

"Nah, it's all right. I got this."

She smiled at me and got out, grabbing her purse. After she closed the door, I watched her skip into the store.

I watched her until I was sure she was inside and mesmerized by the shoes before I pulled my phone out.

Today had been a day of mostly traveling. Once we were out of La Push, we went straight to Seattle, which wasn't more than a few hours away. We still had a lot of daylight to kill yet, and we had already checked into our hotel.

I picked the receipt up out of the cup holder and dialed Jacob's number. I didn't care if Whitney had swore that she would find a hotter guy, I was going to call him. No way I was going to just sweep him under the rug, not someone like _him. _ I wanted to drool just by thinking about his muscles…

He picked up. "Hello?"

"Hey! Jacob, it's Danielle, your alien friend from Mars."

"Hm, I thought you were more of Jupiter girl, but whatever."

I laughed. "So I thought I would call you so you would have my number. I'm not leaving Washington until Sunday, and I was thinking that we should definitely get together again before I leave. That okay?"

"Yeah, sounds awesome. When did you have in mind?"

"Well, I'm going to the Mariner's game tomorrow, and that's during the day, so how about we meet somewhere for dinner?"

"Definitely. Where sounds good and I'll meet you there."

"I don't know. I used to know the area really well, so why don't you pick?"

"How does Port Angeles sound? Not too far away from either of us, you said you were in Seattle?"

"Yeah, we made it. About time, too."

"What, does your friend drive slow?"

"She could drive faster, I guess. I just meant how great it was to not get lost."

He laughed. "Awesome, so I'll meet you in Port Angeles around say, six-ish? Just call when you get there and we'll pick somewhere around there."

"Awesome. Can't wait!" I smiled.

"Me neither. See ya!"

I hung up and got out of the car, meeting Whitney in the store. She had a pair of bright yellow heels on and was looking at her feet in a mirror.

"How are your parents?" She asked, not meeting my eyes. She was focused on the shoes.

"Oh you know, ticked off at me. Same thing."

"Huh. The strangest thing happened while you were gone."

"What's that?"

Shoe stores were to me like candy stores were to little kids, or book stores were to Dani. I couldn't get enough of them. I could spend hours and hours trying on different shoes and trying to imagine what kind of outfit I could build around them.

No sooner had I tried on a pair of boots did I hear my name.

"Whitney?" A girl said.

I looked up and around, but only saw a girl chattering rapidly into her cell phone. I figured that maybe she was talking to a girl named Whitney. Same name, just a coincidence.

I didn't let it go though. I watched the girl from a few aisles over, looking over the shelves of shoes. Her eyes flashed up to mine and then down again, their color like a caramel. I could see only her eyes over the shelves, and her forehead. She wasn't very tall.

I looked down at the shoes and made myself still, so I could listen to what she was saying into her cell phone.

"No, she's not the one for him. I know it for a fact. It's her friend. She's the one he's really after," the girl said.

Silence followed for a few seconds.

"I know that because I saw it with my own eyes!" She listened for a moment. "No, I don't know where her friend is. I'm not a GPS device or whatever it is you call it. I see where people are going, not where they are currently."

"Look, they'll meet up, I know they will. Trust me, it's not her. It's her friend. You'll see."

More silence, I kept listening.

"Okay, I'm shopping. I'll talk to you later. Just chill out. We've dealt with this before. Talk to you later."

Out of the corner of my eye I saw her hang up and start walking slowly in my direction.

I focused completely on the shoes as she passed me. She briefly looked over the shelves.

Dani got out of the car then, and closed the door behind her. The girl left the store just seconds before Dani then came in.

"What's so weird about that?" I asked. "So maybe some of her friends are in a love triangle. What's so weird about that, Whit?"

"She said my name!" Whitney said, changing into another pair of shoes.

"You said yourself that Whitney was a common name."

"Not common like Smith though!"

"Smith is a last name," I laughed.

"Same thing!" She protested.

"Not really."


	7. Chapter Seven: No Monsters

"I'm having dinner with Jacob tomorrow night in Port Angeles after the Mariner's game, and you're coming with me," I said as Whitney and I laid on the hotel room beds watching TV.

She looked over at me, hitting mute on the TV remote. "No, not happening. I refuse to go." She turned her attention back to the screen.

"What? Why?"

"All I would be is a third wheel. It's not happening."

"Come on, don't you want to meet my future husband?" I laughed, trying to ease the obvious tension between us. I didn't want her mad at me at all. Not my best friend.

"No, I'll meet him when he pops the question. Until then, have fun. I'll go shopping in Port Angeles or something, but I'm not going to dinner."

"Whitney, come on. The guy is amazing, I could totally see you guys being awesome friends. Just by talking to him for a few minutes at the gift shop I felt like I had known him forever. He's the only person who after just meeting him I talked about aliens and talking penguins with! You'll love him!"

"Maybe so, but I still don't want to go."

"Two things, nobody likes a party pooper, and nobody likes a rhymer. Come on, you know you want to see this guy with your own eyes. I wouldn't steer you wrong."

"True," she admitted. "I do want to see him. Okay, I'll go, to see him and meet him, but then I'm gone. Deal?"

"Deal!" I squealed. "I'll call him right now and tell him the good news! He'll be so excited to meet you!"

I jumped off my bed and ran and gave her a bear hug.

"Can't breathe!" She choked out.

I let her go, smiled, and ran over to where my phone was on the chair in the corner. The hotel room here in Seattle was much nicer than the one in La Push, the only thing it was missing was being down the road from the gift shop…

"Danielle!" Jacob's voice came just a ring after I had dialed.

"Hey! I have such great news! You'll be so happy!"

"You're staying longer?" He guessed, laughing.

"Ugh, no, I wish. I can't tell you how much I'm dreading going back to Mars. I would rather stay here in Washington forever."

"Okay, well, if that's not the news, what is?"

"You'll be able to meet my friend tomorrow night. I persuaded her to come with me. She doesn't sound too excited about it, and she told me she would leave only after she met you."

"Ouch, you must have made me out to be a jerk," he chuckled.

"No, she's just a little peeved with me at the moment-"

"Peeved is so not a strong enough word," Whitney interrupted, loudly so Jacob could hear.

Jacob laughed. "It's all right. Tell her I would rather be alone with you anyway, see how she takes that."

"Whitney, Jacob says he'd rather be alone with me-"

"I HEARD! For crying out loud, if you guys are going to make out, just do it already!" Whitney got up off the bed and went to the bathroom, slamming the door behind her.

"You didn't hear that, did you?" I asked quietly.

"Unfortunately, yes. Sorry about that. If it's going to make her mad at you, we don't have to meet for dinner."

"No, I'm definitely having dinner. She'll be okay. She's just a little on edge after shopping today, that's all. And don't worry, as soon as she meets you, she won't want to leave. I'm sure of that."

"Smooth, you'll have to tell me where you get your flirting skills."

I rolled my eyes, laughing. "Oh whatever Mr. Penguin. You just get back to your being cold or whatever it is penguin's do."

"We sit on the ice with our little penguin babies while the mommy's go out and find food."

"How do you know that?"

"You ever see that movie March of the Penguins?" He asked.

"I don't know, maybe?"

"Really boring movie about the life of a penguin. Maybe after dinner I'll take you back to my place and we'll watch it. You'll see, it's guaranteed to make anyone fall asleep."

"Awesome, and I'll go and find a nice action movie with plenty of explosions and noise to wake us up afterwards."

"Sounds like a plan, hey I have to go, but I'll talk to you tomorrow, okay?"

"Cool, I'll see you tomorrow!" I said happily.

"Yep, see you."

The phone clicked off and I set my phone down on my bed before making my way over to the bathroom.

The door wasn't locked, and I opened the door and found Whitney sitting on the toilet, her face in her hands.

"Hey," I said, crouching down so we were level.

"Hey," she said sadly.

"Are you mad at me?" I asked, moving her hands from her face.

"No, not you."

"Jacob?" I guessed.

She nodded. "I guess I'm just jealous. What if you guys become like, one of those long distance couples, where you're always talking on the phone or texting him? I would never get to talk to you again."

"I highly doubt that's going to happen. What else is wrong? That can't be the only thing that's putting you on edge." I knew my friend. She was tough, it took a lot to make her mope like this.

"Remember the girl I told you about? The one on the phone who said my name?"

"Yes," I remembered.

"I'm just a little shaken up about her, that's all. I'm sure it's nothing, but I'm still worried. What if she's some stalker who's after you?"

"Me?" I was confused, she had said _Whitney's_ name, not _mine._

"She had said that someone was after her friend, what if _her _was _me?_"

"Come on, I think you're making a big deal out of nothing. Just calm down, okay. It's not like we have monsters chasing after us. I'm still me, and you are still you, and everything is all good. Peaceful thoughts," I told her.

"Okay," she said, standing up, obviously not assured.

"Now, let's get some sleep. We've got a baseball game to watch tomorrow!"


	8. Chapter Eight: Out Alone

The morning greeted me with rain pattering quietly against the window. Rain here was inescapable, I knew that, I just didn't like to admit it. If I was being completely honest, rain was probably the reason my parents and I had moved out of the state in the first place.

I rolled away from the side of my bed that was close to the window and looked at the clock. It was only a little past four in the morning. I sat up and saw Whitney sleeping soundly in the bed next to mine.

I looked out the window again, staring out at the Space Needle and all the other sights that made the city love it more. Safeco Field, the Ferries…why didn't I just stay here? I had everything a girl could want: a place to stay, and how could I possibly forget about Jacob?

Would it be hard to find a job and an apartment? No. Would it be hard to have Whitney drive me home so I could pick up my car so I could have it here? Time consuming, but not difficult. There was just one problem that I kept running into. I was 16 and a half, nowhere close to being 18 and an adult. Unless I could get permission from my parents, I was stuck under their guardianship. From what I could guess, my parents wouldn't jump at the chance to get rid of me. I was in for enough grounding when I got home.

The rain pattered harder on the window, the drops forming together and sliding down and off the window completely. My brain was completely awake, and my body rested. What was I going to do with the hours I had while Whitney was sleeping?

I started with quietly getting out of bed and getting showered, but that didn't kill more than forty-five minutes. The hotel's breakfast wouldn't be open for more than an hour, and it wasn't like there was much I could do in the room.

I pulled my jacket out of my suitcase, grabbed my cell phone and a room key and left the room. The hallway was long, empty, and quiet. The only sound came from my feet on the patterned carpet. I hurried along, counting how many doors had "Do Not Disturb" signs on their handles.

I lost count when I reached the door at the end of the hallway. I opened the door, the cool air and the wet raindrops hit my face, waking me up to the world around me. Few cars zoomed down the street, making the trip on the crosswalk fast and easy. I didn't really know where I was going, but I didn't really care. I just wanted to walk, to think.

I followed the sidewalk, looking in the dark windows of the shops that wouldn't open for hours yet. There were few pedestrians around, and they, like myself, didn't seem to be paying attention to the world around them. I pulled my jacket up around my chin and looked down to the sidewalk, skipping over the cracks when they came my way.

My thoughts weren't in a thousand places like they could have been. Instead, they were focused on two things, two things that seemed pretty important in my life right now. The first: my relationship with Jacob. Did I want to take it further than the friendship we had seemed to establish? Or should I keep us as friends? My heart ached when the thought of remaining friends came up. The truth was that I didn't want that to happen. I was interested, a lot.

The second was what Whitney was worrying about. Part of me thought that she was overreacting. It could have very well been a coincidence that the girl said Whitney's name. The other part of me couldn't let it go…what if it wasn't a coincidence and I was _under_ reacting?

I walked a little while longer, the rain coming down harder. Not too far ahead I spied a Rent-A-Car place, and I ran towards it, even though Mythbusters had proved if you run in the rain you get wetter than you would if you walked. I didn't care. I wanted a car.

Thankfully, it was now about five-thirty, and they were open. I let myself into the building and walked up to the front desk. The man behind the desk looked up surprised, obviously not expecting anyone yet.

"Can I help you?" He asked.

"Yes, I'd like a car," I said, wondering why else a person might come here.

"Yes, I figured. How long? Any preferences on the type of car?"

"Oh, just for the rest of the weekend," I said, internally kicking myself. How stupid was I? "And no, I don't really care. Something fast would be nice."

He set some papers on the counter in front of me. "Just fill those out with your information, and do you have your drivers license?"

I pulled my license out of my pants pocket, where I always kept it, and handed it to him.

He punched in some information from it while I finished with the forms. When I handed the papers out, he asked for my method of payment.

"Oh, debit's cool." I told him my parents card number, which I had memorized.

He obviously didn't care that I was under eighteen or if it was my parents number. He just handed me a pair of keys. "It's a red mustang, around back. Right near the front. Can't miss it."

"Thanks," I said, grabbing my license and shoving it back into my pocket before racing out the door. I loved it when people cooperated with me.

The Mustang, like he had said, was easy to find. I unlocked it and climbed in, sniffing appreciatively at the new car smell. The interior was leather and comfortable, so when I got on the road I didn't care how far I went. I felt I could go for hours.

It didn't take me long to get out of the city. Soon I was surrounded by dense, dark trees. The roads were quiet and empty, and I didn't care where I was or when it was. Since getting in the car I hadn't paid any attention to the clock on the black dash.

Getting bored stiff with driving after a while, I pulled over onto the side of the road. I shut the car off, pleased to see that the rain had stopped for the most part. There was a slight breeze, but it wasn't enough to make me shiver. I locked the car behind me, shoved the keys in my pocket, and walked out into the trees, finding my mind and focus.

I walked until I couldn't see the road. The ground was dry, product of the tall trees. I sat at the base of one of the taller trees, listening to the birds chirping and the leaves of bushes shuffling as small animals ran through them. Here it was peaceful and easy to think, easy to know what my mind was thinking.

When it came to Jacob, I could only come up with one solution that wouldn't totally kill my heart. I knew Whitney wouldn't be happy with me, but I knew that she would understand, or at least I hoped she would. She had always been there for me before, had always stood behind every decision I decided on unless it was completely stupid. This one wasn't stupid.

I would try to take things farther with Jacob. I would go to dinner tonight and follow through with the movie plans we had talked about. And after I had left, I would stay in contact and try to visit as much as possible if Jacob wanted to go that route. If he didn't, I would understand, there were thousands of fish in the sea.

About the other problem, I would just push it aside. I wasn't going to worry about it unless worry proved absolutely necessary. I didn't believe it possible that we could have a stalker, or that _I _could.

When I pulled out of my decisions, I found that the bushes had stopped their quiet shuffling. I stood, looking around. The birds were silenced, too. I pulled out my phone. What time was it? Almost eight. Whitney would be getting up soon, if she wasn't already.

I began walking, but realized that I wasn't quite sure of where I was. I cursed, spinning around, looking and listening for some sign of the road.

It wasn't a sound from the road that made my hair stand on end, but the sound of wood snapping. I jolted around, looking behind me, looking for the cause of the sound.

A red streak whooshed passed me, knocking me over. My head smacked the ground first, the rest of my body touching ground after.

"OW!" I yelled. I tried sitting up, but everything was spinning. Carefully, I put my head under my head, feeling for any bumps. No bumps, but my hair was warm and sticky. I was bleeding. Knowing this only made the pain worse, and seeing the blood on my head was the final nail in the coffin.

The red streak came back, this time a bit more blurry than the last. I managed to sit up without too many tears escaping my eyes. I wiped my eyes and looked up, seeing a woman with fiery red hair.

Relief washed through me. She could help me find my way back to the Mustang and hopefully to a hospital.

There were two of her, thanks to the massive head injury I had just experienced. I winced, trying to form the words in my mouth, but she spoke first.

Her skin was pale, and her blood red lips parted, a melodical voice coming out. "Isabella Swan, it is remarkable how well the Cullens have disguised you. However, they obviously were unable to hide your scent. I smelled it from many miles away." She smiled a menacing smile.

I may have been largely mentally handicapped, but even my mind could tell that what she was saying was nonsense.

"What are you talking about?" I choked out, my head hurting worse than any migraine I had ever experienced. "My name isn't Isabella or whatever. It's Danielle. And who are these Cullens people?" I asked, trying to get my bearings.

"Don't play stupid. You'll only die faster. I'm sure that Edward will absolutely adore hearing how I ripped his girlfriend in two," she hissed.

"Edward? Who is Edward?" I mumbled, closing my eyes. The pain was so bad I would rather have had a knife in my head, I was sure of it.

I felt her hand wrap around my shin. She squeezed, and I heard my bones snapping.

I screamed. "I DON'T KNOW WHO EDWARD IS! I'M NOT HIS GIRLFRIEND! I DON'T KNOW WHO THE CULLENS ARE, AND I DON'T KNOW WHO YOU ARE! PLEASE, PLEASE STOP!"

She let go of my leg. "Look. I don't have time to deal with this. I think I should have just killed you without talking to you. But honestly, that wouldn't have been any fun. I want to see the light leave your eyes, so I can tell him in full detail what it was like as you died, just like he did to my James."

"WHO IS JAMES?" I screamed. "Help me please!"

"Victoria, stop," a voice said from somewhere behind me.

I was crumpled in a small ball on the forest floor, unable to see anything clearly even if I hadn't had tears in my eyes.

"Well, if it isn't the Cullens themselves, come to save their chew toy. Let's see, I get to play with Alice and Jasper today. How exciting," she purred.

"That's not Bella," another voice said. It was male.

"What kind of idiot do you take me for? I KNOW it's her. I could smell her from forever away," Victoria shouted.

The female voice that had spoke first spoke again. "Victoria, Bella's gone. She's dead. She died months ago. This isn't Bella," she said.

I heard footsteps coming towards me. They were soft and quick. A cold hand moved my hair out of my face and rested on my forehead. I focused on breathing, trying to stop the pain in my head and leg.

"You see?" The girl said. "Looks nothing like Bella did."

"Alice," Victoria snapped. "I am not an idiot. Can't you smell? This IS Bella."

"No, it isn't." Alice said, her voice sounding inches away from me.

I heard a whoosh of wind and then a loud _smack. _"Victoria!" The male voice roared.

"Jasper!" Alice said. "Hold her off! I've got to get her to safety. I saw a car parked on the road, maybe it's hers."

I felt myself being lifted gently, and I whimpered as my leg moved.

"It's okay," she said as a breeze hit my face. "My name is Alice, and you are going to be okay, trust me."


	9. Chapter Nine: Twist

I didn't know where I was, and I didn't know who I was with when I woke up. I didn't recognize the bed that I found myself laying on, I didn't recognize the paint on the walls, the carpet on the floor, or even the style of the door. Though my head ached with an annoying but bearable pain, I could easily see that I was in a place that I had never been before.

The killer of the whole situation was that not only did I not know where I was, I didn't know how I had gotten there. I didn't remember anything past waking up this morning and seeing the rain pattering against the hotel window. That was the only sure thing in my head.

The soft pillowcase beneath my cheek was a sign that wherever I was, which could literally be anywhere, was meant to be safe and comforting. The blanket over me was heavy and warm, and the air in the room was like the heat from a heat lamp: steady and sleep inducing.

I opened my sleep filled eyes wide, trying to wake myself up. I moved my right leg so that it was hanging off of the bed as I sat up, but when I went to move my left leg, it seared in pain.

Groaning in pain, I pulled the blanket off of me and looked to see my left leg wrapped in a cast from the knee down. What had happened? I racked my achy head for a memory, something that would help me discover what I had done to put myself in this state. There was nothing there.

"Hello?" I called out, though rather weakly. My voice was dry and scratchy, my lips burning. I needed water, I was dangerously dehydrated.

The door opened, and in walked a man with pale skin, blond hair, and strange butterscotch eyes. He was very good looking, though he looked to be a good many years older than I was.

"Is there anything I can get you?" He asked. His voice was different from other voices I had heard. There was something about it, it's fluidity, maybe? The sound was hypnotic in a way, alluring.

"Could I get some water, please?" I asked, highly curious about who he was and where I was, but knowing that I couldn't very well talk if my throat was dry. I would take things one step at a time.

"Of course," he said, before promptly leaving the room and closing the door behind him.

I took his absence as an opportunity to observe my surroundings. The room wasn't very large, just enough to room to house the furniture it held, which was the full size bed I lay in and a desk that was against the wall opposite it. It appeared to be any ordinary guest room. But where exactly was I a guest?  
The door opened again and in came the man, holding a large glass of ice cold water. He handed it to me, closing the door behind him so that it was just him and I. I drank gratefully, the water wetting my burning lips and healing my sore throat.

When I was finished with it, he held his hand out and handed him the empty glass.

"Are you feeling all right?" He asked, his eyes looking me over. "I hope you are better, I see you are trying to get up."

"What am I supposed to be feeling better than? If you don't mind me asking. I wake up to an aching head, discover that my left leg is in a cast, and on top of all that I have no idea what time it is, what day it is, or where I am. I also am a bit confused on the subject of who you are," I explained, my voice already sounding better.

He sighed. "You have every right to be frustrated, and you deserve an explanation. I do think that we should get you healthy again before we discuss any of that."

I grumbled softly to myself. "Fine," I told him. "May I at least have your name?"

"Carlisle," he answered, coming over to where I half laid and half sat up. I moved my good leg back onto the bed, realizing I probably wasn't going to get anywhere. He put a cool hand on my forehead, which immediately eased some of the minor pain.

"How does your head feel?" He asked, feeling the back of my head and probing the more tender places.

"Not too bad. Just an annoying ache, kind of like when you know that you're getting a headache," I explained.

He nodded. "What about your leg?"

"It feels sore, but nothing too bad. Is it broken?" I wondered.

"Yes, I'm afraid so. Thankfully it wasn't broken too badly, and the recovery process shouldn't take more than a few weeks."

"Weeks? What do you mean? I'm not bedridden, am I?"

"I don't recommend many physically strenuous activities until you recover your memory," he told me, adjusting my leg so that it was propped on a pillow.

"Which brings us to what happened to me," I prompted.

He sat down on the foot of my bed, inches from my feet. The bed groaned softly beneath the weight.

"I'm afraid it is a long story," he said apologetically.

"According to you, I have weeks worth of time," I replied, gesturing toward my leg and then my head.

He nodded. "You were attacked, and were mistaken for a dead girl," Carlisle began.

"Attacked? Dead girl?" I interrupted.

He held up a pale hand, silencing me. "Please let me explain. Months ago, one of my son's fiancé passed away in a terrible accident. It left a good amount of people grieving, and still today I don't think people are quite over it. My son has accepted it, but other than him, few have fully recovered.

"Unfortunately, she was not loved by a certain person, a person who's violence and temper led to their declaration of her death. Many vowed to take her life, but in the end, nobody had to. Her death was purely accidental.

"One of my sons and one of my daughters found you in the forest, badly abused by the one who had vowed to take my son's fiancé's life. She was unaware that she had already died, and believed you to be the one whom she so terribly hated.

"Due to your similar characteristics, you were brutally attacked, and very well could have been killed had my children not have found you. They brought you back here to recover. That was three days ago."

"Three days?!" No, it couldn't have been. That meant I had missed the baseball game, I had missed dinner and a movie with Jacob, and I should have already been home in Idaho.

"Yes, three days. I was more than surprised when it took you that long to wake up. To be honest, I was quite worried. I'm very glad to see you awake."

"You don't understand, there are people who are probably wondering where I am and what happened to me! I'm not supposed to be here! I'm supposed to be home, in school, and, well, normal." I could feel my heart rate climbing rapidly as it hammered in my chest.

It must have been loud enough for him to hear. "Calm down, don't worry. You're going to give yourself a heart attack. We've already alerted the people you are speaking of. They had called your phone multiple times, in fact, they're downstairs right now. Would you like them up here?"

"Yes!" I said. Whitney and Jacob were downstairs? Why hadn't he brought them up in the first place?

He stood up and walked out of the room, this time leaving the door open. I sat myself up as best as I could. I knew that I had to look awful, but Whitney wouldn't mind. I had known her forever, and if she saw me at my best (which, in truth, I don't believe she had seen yet, no one had), then she would be able to see me at my worst. As for Jacob, he obviously cared enough about me to be here, in some stranger's house.

I heard thundering up a set of stairs, and then someone running down a hallway. Whitney came through my door first.

"Dani! Thank goodness you're awake!" She ran right up to me and hugged me tightly, practically in a chokehold.

"Can't breathe! Thanks Whitney, love you too!" I choked out.

She released me. "Why did you leave without telling me?"

"I just wanted to walk around, drive a while. I didn't mean to get myself attacked. I'm sorry for worrying you," I apologized.

"Why are you apologizing to me? I should be the one apologizing. If I hadn't worried you, you wouldn't have gone out by yourself to think! It's my fault." She gave me another hug.

"No, I won't let you take the blame for this, Whitney. It's my fault. I should have told you where I was going. This one's on me."

"You can tell yourself that all you want, but I'm going to take the blame inside my head," she said, attempting a smile. Her eyes fogged up.

"Whit, don't cry. I swear, this isn't your fault. Just relax."

She cried even harder. Jacob looked over to her and went over and wrapped his strong arms around her in a comforting way. So they had made friends after all. This made me happy. I knew they would get along.

"Come on Whitney, it's okay. She'll understand once you tell her. If you've been best friends for this long, this won't get in the way. Some things we just can't control."

Whitney shook her head and cried into Jacob's shoulder, and finally my curiosity couldn't handle it anymore.

"What are you two going on about? Why is Whitney crying? What did I miss?" I was confused, but when Jacob kissed Whitney's forehead, I finally began to understand.


	10. Chapter Ten: Bathroom talk

"Why?" I asked Whitney when we were alone in the bedroom. "You knew that I liked him. How could you do something like that to me?"

She walked over to the window and looked out to the forest. "Dani, I would never do something like that to you if I could help it," she said as she stared out the window. Surprisingly, it wasn't raining. The absence of the drops on the window was bothering me. Their presence was a sound that I figured would always be there, and now that it wasn't, it had me on edge.

"I know that. I just can't believe this happened. I should have just stayed away when I had the chance," I groaned, a slight pain in my leg.

Almost on cue, Carlisle came in and gave me some pain medication. "Are you going to tell me how you know I'm in pain?" I asked him after I had swallowed down the pills.

"Not today," he smiled, his eyes sad. He left when I had handed him back the glass the pills had come in.

"It's not your fault," Whitney said, coming over and sitting on my bed. "How were you supposed to know you were attracted to a werewolf?"

I had been hurt, knowing that Whitney and Jacob were literally destined to be together, forever. If I had known this, I probably wouldn't have been so eager to let her meet him. It could have been worse, I knew this. I could have been with him for a time longer, and then, like Whitney had kidded, have them meet after he had asked me to marry him. That would have hurt me so much worse. It would be a little hard to know that I couldn't look at him like I had when I first had seen him, with lust in my eyes, but I was young, and had a lot of life left to find that someone who was meant for me.

"I didn't know, because I didn't even know that werewolves existed. I thought they were the stuff of legends," I said quietly.

She looked at me sadly. "I feel so guilty, you literally get the shortest end of the stick you could get. You get mauled, losing memory and the function of your leg, and then I go and take Jacob from you," her eyes watered.

"Whitney, please don't cry. I don't blame you. This is none of our faults."

"Oh, Dani." She gave me a tight hug.

"We'll get through this. I promise," I said. "More importantly, I'LL get through this," I said, laughing quietly at my leg. "And I'm sure my memories will come back."

Whitney managed a weak smile.

"Where's Jacob?" I asked.

"I don't know. He told me he was going off looking for the girl who attacked you. He wanted her dead after what she did to you. He still cares about you, you know."

I looked down at my cast. "He doesn't need to do anything so rash," I muttered. The thought of Jacob running around, werewolf or not, looking for a deranged killer made me shake with worry, even though he wasn't mine to worry about.

I still worried.

"He'll take care of her, I know he will," Whitney assured me.

_Whitney_

Words couldn't describe how awful I felt. I felt so guilty about what had happened between Jacob and me. I felt so guilty about leaving Dani up in the bedroom, alone and broken.

Most of all I felt guilty because of all the secrets that I was keeping from her.

I walked down the staircase and into the living room, where I found Carlisle, Esme, Emmett, Jasper, Rosalie, and Alice.

"How is she doing?" Alice asked, jumping off of the couch and running over to where I now stood, in the center of the room.

"She's okay, at least that's what she wants me to believe. I think she's in more pain than she's admitting, though." I looked over to Jasper, who nodded, confirming what I already knew.

"It's more than physical pain, Carlisle. I've never felt more confusion, emotional strain or stress," Jasper said quietly.

Carlisle sighed. "I feel so guilty. We practically put the crosshairs on her head."

I disagreed. "It's no more your fault than it is mine for letting her run off by herself."

"That wasn't your fault," Esme argued from where she sat on the couch next to Carlisle.

"Not to you," I practically whispered. "I've ruined her life. I took Jacob from her, I let her run off and nearly get killed," I sank down to the floor.

"Whitney, didn't you listen to me? Dani has someone of her own, waiting for her, just like Jacob is so clearly to you. Soon, she'll forget she was even interested in Jacob," Alice said, giving me a cool hug.

"That may be true, but I still feel terrible."

"You know what always makes me feel better?" Emmett asked, turning away from Sports Center that was on TV.

I shook my head.

"Ice cream," he smiled. "What do you say we go and get sick off of ice cream?"

"Emmett," I said slowly, "you don't eat ice cream."

"You do, though," Emmett chuckled.

"I'm good, thanks though," I said, sitting on the couch next to Rosalie on the love seat.

"Party pooper," Emmett muttered.

"Emmett, can't you see how much stress she's under?" Rosalie snapped.

"Sorry. I was just trying to help," Emmett apologized.

The back door opened then, and Jacob came running in. "Victoria ran off. We tracked her for a while, but her scent disappeared at the cliffs, like most things do…" his voice trailed off. I knew he was talking about Bella.

"Jacob," I said, standing up and walking over to where he was. "I'm sorry."

"I _will_ kill her," he vowed. "I won't let her get away with attacking Dani that easily."

"Edward's home," Alice whispered.

I heard a car door slam, and then the front door opened.

Edward, the one who had been with Bella at the time of her death, the one who had known her better than anyone, walked into the room, took one look at me and then at Carlisle.

This was the first time I had seen him with my eyes.

"I won't ask, it's not worth my time," he said directly to Carlisle.

Carlisle nodded as Edward left the room. As he was leaving, even I had to admit that he was gorgeous. His hair was a unique shade, red-brown, a bronze. His eyes were like the rest of the Cullens, a golden caramel color.

"I heard that," Edward said, looking at me from the top of the staircase.

"I didn't say-" I began.

"He reads minds," Jacob whispered to me. I froze. Great, just what I needed, someone who could tell me my thoughts were messed up. I sighed.

"Jacob, I really wish you wouldn't go about bringing her here. I realize we are friends, but that doesn't mean you need to expose our secrets as well as your own," Edward said coldly, before disappearing down the upstairs hallway.

"I'm sorry about Edward," Esme apologized. "He's had a rough time lately. He'll come around," she assured me.

"It's all right," I replied. "Does he know?" I suddenly wondered.

"About Dani? No," Alice said.

"When will he find out? It can't be long, if he can read minds. Won't he realize there's someone else's thoughts up there?"

"You'd think, either that or he'll smell her," Jacob said.

"He won't hurt her, will he?" I asked.

Alice laughed out loud. "No, Whitney, no he won't,"

"I don't get the joke," I whispered to Jacob.

"Me either," Jacob said, sighing.

_Danielle_

I heard someone's footsteps coming down the hallway, and instantly tried my hardest to sit up. I didn't want to be laying down if Whitney or Jacob came to talk to me.

After Whitney had left, I had pondered the strange things that had happened to me.

I had run off from my parents to live my life like I had wanted to do. I had met someone new, made a new friend, nearly fell in love only to learn that he wasn't mine to love. I had shopped for shoes, learned that there really was such a thing as monsters: werewolves, anyway, and I had believed it. I had been mistaken for a dead girl and had been nearly killed, according to the people who still had their memories of the event. And of course, I had woken up in a strange, unfamiliar place, only to be shocked about what was going on around me.

I had to admit, the thought about werewolves actually existing was a hard concept to grasp, but how could I not believe my best friend? And how could I be mad at my best friend when she fell for Jacob, when it was something she couldn't even control? I had no right to be mad at Whitney or Jacob. And as for me nearly getting killed? I shouldn't have run off by myself. The course of my life was nobody's fault but my own.

The door opened, and in came neither Whitney, or Jacob, or even Carlisle, the one who had been taking care of me. In stepped a guy who just by looking at him made me freeze. He was gorgeous, more gorgeous than I had thought Jacob to be. He had the most interesting hair, hair that I could only describe as red brown, or…I thought about it, bronze. His skin was pale, like Carlisle's, which could only make me guess that he was one of Carlisle's sons. His eyes were also similar to Carlisle's, a light, golden color.

"Who are you?" I asked, being completely vocal about what was going on through my head.

He only stared as he stood in the doorway. His eyes showed not anger, nor sadness, but not happiness either. His eyes could only describe curiosity as he stared at my pathetic form.

My unanswered question hung in the air for several more seconds before he shut the door quietly behind him. It didn't make a sound as it swung shut.

Finally, he spoke, and I jumped at the sound of his voice. We had been sitting in silence so long, the noise seemed out of place.

"I think the proper question would be who you are," he said, his voice quiet, velvet.

"Danielle," I said, looking down again to the cast on my leg. His voice was so hypnotic, I didn't think I could ignore his wishes even if he told me to take my own life.

His face remained composed, but I could see that his eyes slightly widened.

"What happened to your leg?" He asked, in his same, velvety voice.

"You'll have to ask someone else. I'm afraid I don't remember what happened. Probably for the better, whatever broke my leg can't have been a pleasant experience." I paused a moment before asking his identity again. "Who are you?"

He sighed. "Edward," he replied, closing his eyes.

"Is there something the matter?" I wondered. He looked stiff, tense.

"No, I am perfectly all right. I am merely wondering how you got to be here. Carlisle did not inform me that we had a guest."

"Carlisle? Is he related to you in any way? You look very much like him," I asked.

"He is my father," Edward answered. "But that doesn't explain your connection to him, which you must have, if you are here, in the house."

"Carlisle told me that one of his sons and one of his daughters rescued me from whoever it was that broke my leg and caused my head trauma," I explained. "He told me that I'm here to recover. You wouldn't be the son who rescued me, would you? If you are, I owe you thanks." I was surprised at how easily my words were coming. Normally, around a guy such as this, I would be absolutely tongue tied.

"I am not the one who rescued you, I would assume that would be my brother, Jasper, for I was out at the time you were rescued," he answered.

A rush of sadness went through me. I had so badly wished that it was he who carried me here….

"If Jasper is one of the ones who saved me, I should very much like to thank him, and whoever the girl was, as well."

"Alice would be the one who helped Jasper," he told me, staring straight into my eyes. This action made warmth rush through my heart, warming the cold Jacob had put there.

"If they are unable to speak to me, would you tell them that I owe them so very much? I wouldn't be here if it weren't for them," I requested.

"I will tell them," he said. "I'm very sorry about your condition. Is there anything that I could tell Carlisle so your leg will heal quicker?"

"Actually, it feels okay at the moment. More than anything, I would like to be allowed out of this room. Are there any crutches, or a wheelchair that I could use? I think a trip to the bathroom wouldn't be far from my capabilities."

"I don't know if we have crutches, or a wheel chair for that matter, but if you need to use the restroom, I or Carlisle would be more than happy to carry you. Is it quite an urgent matter?" One of his eyebrows raised.

I couldn't help but laughing.

"What, may I ask, is so very funny?"

"I'm sorry," I said in between laughs. "It's just how formally we're speaking, and of a bathroom," I laughed some more.

He smiled, and his eyes seemed to light up. "I guess it is funny."

He walked over and gently scooped me up into his arms, not bumping my leg or head.

I shivered. "Has anyone ever told you that you have very cold skin?"

His smile grew more pronounced. "Yes, I have been told that before."


	11. Chapter Eleven: Meteor Shower

Edward carried me back down the hallway to the bedroom. When we were outside the door, I had him stop. "Do I really have to go back in there?" I asked. "It's like a prison in there," I explained.

"I'm not sure there is a better place. I think you'll be more comfortable in there," he said, his breath swirling in my face. I took it in, it smelled so sweet.

I nodded, and he took me into the room, setting me on the bed and propping my bad leg up.

"Thank you," I said once I was positioned on the bed. "I realize that had to have been awkward for you, talking about bathrooms with someone you've never met before."

"It's no trouble. I'm sure anyone else would have done the same."

"I doubt it," I laughed.

"May I ask you a question?"

"Ask away, no guarantees that I'll be able to answer it, though."

"I'm sure you will be able to answer," he assured me. "Where are you from?"

"Oh, that's easier than I expected. Boise, Idaho," I answered.

He looked thoughtfully at my eyes, and I met his gaze back. "Am I allowed to ask you a question, then?"

Smiling, he pointed out "It wouldn't be fair if I didn't let you."

"You wouldn't be the one who was engaged to the girl who died, would you?"

A normal person might have lost all composure, but Edward didn't. "Yes, I was. The loss of her was inevitable. I don't believe I made the right choice by proposing to her. There was many a time when I believed that she wasn't right in the head."

"I'm sorry all the same," I whispered.

"It's not your fault, in fact, I'm the one who should be sorry. After all, it was you who was nearly killed because someone thought you to be her."

"Do I look like her?" I wondered.

"No, a few features are similar, but I believe you are better looking than she was."

I felt my face get warm. I laughed at myself. I didn't remember the last time I had blushed.

"Can I ask what she did to get someone after her?"

"You can ask, but I don't think I can answer that right now."

"Is it a secret?"

"It's not something I'm supposed to alert the world to," he admitted.

"Is it up to you whether I know or not?"

"Partially," he allowed, speaking cautiously, as if he were trying to be careful about what he said.

I nodded. "I understand. Some things I don't like talking about or telling other people about either. Besides, it's none of my business," I said, smiling brightly.

"I'm sure it's something that you'll discover eventually. It's quite a story."

"The sooner you tell me, the better. I've got weeks in this cast."

He laughed, a sound more beautiful than his voice. "Why did you come from Idaho to Washington?"

"Originally because there was a Yankees and a Mariners game, and my friend and I were coming to see it. That's only part of it, though."

"What's the other part?"

"I wanted to get away from my parents. I was tired of being babied, and I wanted some independence. I wanted to live my life the way I wanted to live it, and being stuck under their roof wasn't what I wanted. When my life flashes before my eyes, I don't want it to be what anyone else wanted of me. I want it to be what I want to watch. I want my life to be memorable, not just a blink of an eye."

"That's an admirable goal to have. I don't think that you should be ashamed of the decision to leave. If you explained it to your parents like you explained it to me, they should understand."

"Thanks," I couldn't express all that I meant by that in one word, but I couldn't exactly put my feelings into words, either. I hoped for now my 'thanks' would suffice.

"Is Whitney your friend who you came with?"

"Yes, she's the most wonderful girl I've ever had the pleasure of knowing. I'm glad that she and Jacob found each other. There's nobody more deserving than she is."

"You really liked Jacob, didn't you?"

"I did, a lot. He was the kind of guy that I could see me being with for a long time, someone who I could be close to easily. He made me laugh, and like a lot of people do, eventually made me want to cry, but I know now that he's not mine to have."

"Jacob…he's different. I don't think I would have ever believed that his kind existed until I saw it with my own eyes," Edward said.

"You've seen him, as a werewolf?" I choked out.

He nodded. "It's a sight to see."

"I wish I could see it, get outside, at least. I can't tell you how much I just want to feel the raindrops on my face, watch the trees drip from a rainfall, see the gray clouds with no window in between us."

Edward said nothing, but looked out the window. I looked in that direction, too.

"How did you meet Jacob?" I asked.

"Jacob had been friends with my fiancé before she passed. They were very close. When she died…we sort of helped each other through it."

"That was…nice of him, nice of you, too. I never knew that about him. I only knew him for such a short time, I never really got to know him. It was one of those things that I hoped I would be able to do," I admitted.

"I understand, that's what I thought I would get to do with, well, you know who I'm talking about," he related.

"Won't you tell me her name?"

"I don't like to use her name, if I can avoid it, I will. Sometimes I wonder if it's a jinx on me and the people around me if I say her name."

"I'm sorry. I won't ask again."

"That's something that's been bothering me. Could you please stop apologizing when you think I'm upset? It's a little on the annoying side."

"So-" he cut me off with a look that could only be describe as happiness. He wore a large smile on his face, his eyes shined. I stopped my apology short, laughing. "My bad," I laughed.

I sighed, glaring down at my cast. I was in a good enough mood now that if I wasn't stuck with my bad leg, I would be dancing. I traced the cast's patterns.

"Not enjoying the cast?" Edward guessed.

"Definitely not. I feel so helpless. I'm used to running when I want to run, dancing when I want to dance, and jumping when I want to jump. Not being able to do that is really getting on my nerves."

"Is there anything that you usually do sitting? Maybe that will help you pass the time," Edward suggested.

I beamed. I didn't think of what I could do, only what I couldn't do. "I love to write, I love to read, and I love listening to music," I said. "I would play music, but I don't have my instrument," I laughed.

"What instrument do you play?"

"Flute and piccolo," I replied. "I started playing on my mom's flute. I still play that instrument today."

He nodded. "What music do you like?"

"I am in love with Owl City, but I listen to more than that. I enjoy everything except country and hardcore rap."

"How about favorite books?"

"Too many to choose from. Particularly I would have to say Mansfield Park by Jane Austen, or maybe Dracula by Bram Stoker."

"Classics," he noted.

"I guess," I smiled. "The way they wrote then is so much more elegant than the styles now. I can actually call their writing beautiful, when now all you see is constant slang and text talk."

"It is a real shame how human vocabulary has diminished," Edward agreed. Then, his eyes lit up. "I have an idea that will get you out of this room AND doing something you'll enjoy."

"What's that?" I asked, curious at the source of his excitement.

Without answering me, he scooped me up so effortlessly that I had to question my weight and his strength. He carried me out the room and down the hallway to a closed door.

"What's in there?" I asked, hoping that this time he would answer my question.

"You'll see." He opened the door with ease, though I was in his arms. What was inside made my jaw drop.

He sat me on a black couch, making sure my leg was elevated. I looked at the walls, the source for my awe. CD's, tapes, and even records lined them. It was more stocked than a music store, and I could hardly believe it.

"Name an artist," he said proudly.

I thought about it for a moment before exclaiming "The Black Eyed Peas!"

He went to one wall and pulled down every one of their CD's, including Fergie's solo projects. "Oh my goodness," I gasped.

He put the music back on the shelf. "Name another."

"Muse."

Just as he had done with the Black Eyed Peas, he pulled down every piece of Muse music ever known. My eyes widened.

"Just how much music do you have in here?"

"Not sure, a lot. I've been collecting for a while."

"How long is a while? I want to start something like this!"

He laughed. "It will probably take more than a few months, don't get so eager."

"I don't care! This is fantastic! Have you ever had this collection appraised?" I was bouncing up and down on the couch. "And they're all yours?"

He nodded, smiling. "All mine, and no, I haven't had them appraised."

"Wonderful," I breathed.

He walked over to me and sat on the floor in front of me. "I wouldn't recommend that bouncing. Your leg won't heal," he warned.

I calmed myself down before looking about the room. Besides music, there were a few books scattered here and there, and an amazing sound system.

"Is this your room?" I wondered aloud.

"Yes," he answered.

"It's incredible, but where's your bed?"

"The couch is a pull-out."

"Oh."

Conversation died for a moment, but it wasn't an awkward silence. For some reason, it was comfortable to just sit there. His presence was a comforting one, and though the pain in my leg was acting up again, he made it better.

"Are you feeling okay?"

"Yes," I lied, but only partly. The pain wasn't unbearable.

He stood up and went to his stereo, where he put on Meteor Shower by Owl City. By natural instinct, I began forming my words to the lyrics. And then he did something which made me gape.

He lifted me up again, this time holding me upright, but so my bare foot was resting gently on his. "Um, what are you doing?"

"You want to dance, you're going to dance. Is there any pressure on your shin?"

I shook my head.

"Good," he grinned. He held me in his arms and gently began spinning us in a slow, careful circle.

_I am not my own, for I have been made new. Please don't let me go, I desperately need you, _the song played.

Being upright was a feeling that made my heart do little flips…but I wasn't sure if that was because Edward was holding me or it was that I was standing.

I couldn't help but smile.

"Enjoying yourself?" Edward asked, smiling.

I laughed. "If I said yes, it might just be the biggest understatement of the year."

He laughed quietly, joining mine. We moved carefully and gently through the rest of the Ocean Eyes CD.

_Alice_

I sat outside the doorway to Edward's room. His door had been left open, so I pressed myself up against the wall, hidden by the shadows. I listened to their soft conversation as the music played. I didn't care if Edward knew I was there. I was excited because I was right. Danielle WAS the one for him.


End file.
